I want to be able to put my motorcycle in the back of my Elky. Do any of you guys use your Elky to haul your bike? How do you strap it down? How do you get it in and out without doing any damage to your truck? Let's see some photos of motorcycles in El Caminos.

I used to haul my Yamaha 175 dirt bike in the back of my '77 back in high school. I had two cleats in the bed to attach a pair of ratchet straps that came with the bike for hauling. They attached to the handle bars, and when you ratcheted down the straps, it would compress the front forks, making it nice and tight. Never had any trouble with anything getting loose. This was back in the late 80's, so sorry, no pics.

I have a custom built bike with carolina customs frame , sportster 1200 engine,tranny and front end and it fits into my 80 caballero diablo , just have to put it in at an angle and once i cinch down the front forks I can closs the tail gate . I have strap points in all 4 corners of the bed and strap the front only , it doesn't move at all. I add air to the airshocks and you can't tell there is another 500 pounds in the bed.

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Did your Caballero come with the strap points in the bed? My 72 doesn't have any and I was wondering if I should have some welded in before I have a bed liner sprayed in. What kind of ramp do you use to get it up in there? Can you load & unload it by yourself?

I believe that most 5th gens came with, or at least had the option of, bed tie downs. My '86 has 4 of them. My 4th gen had a pair of them, but they were added. I don't think 3rd gen came with them either, but you can certainly add some. Either an auto parts store or a motorcycle shop should have some. Would be a good idea to install before the bed liner.
For loading my dirt bike, I used a 2X10, and was able to do so by myself, although once I did miss the bottom third of the ramp. But, I didn't lay the bike over, so no harm done. Scared the crap out of me though.

My 83 came with eye hooks bolted in each corner of the bed. I added a 5th eye hook in the middle front. Put some silicone around the washer before tightening to prevent leaks. I haul my yz250 all the time and sometimes 2nd yz250 when by nephew rides with me.

I had two cleats in the bed to attach a pair of ratchet straps that came with the bike for hauling. They attached to the handle bars, and when you ratcheted down the straps, it would compress the front forks, making it nice and tight. Never had any trouble with anything getting loose.

This is how I would haul my 07 cbr 1000. Never had any problems with it coming lose as long as the forks are compressed all the way. My friend did this with his bike and didnít compress them down enough and the bike started to lean really badly to the side after about 10min of driving. So just make sure the front forks are compressed ALL the way and you wonít have any problems. I have seen 2 different ways to get a bike in to the bed. 1 is getting a ramp wide enough for you to sit on the bike and walk it up the ramp in to the bed.http://www.discountramps.com/mcImage...ike-ramp-4.jpgThe other is to get a ramp big enough for the tires only. As you walk the bike up the ramp you just ďhop, jump, or stepĒ in to the bed. The people I have seen do this make it look effortless, but I have never tried it. The truck I used to have was lifted and I would not have been able to jump in to it while holding a bike. With the Elko being so low already you should have no problem just stepping in to it. Especially if you back in to your drive way and stop as your rear wheels touch the side walk. It will make it very low to the ground.I donít know what kind of ramp you are looking for or what bike you have but you should be able to find a good one at this site. http://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle_ramp_page.htmAlso if you go to a big motorcycle shop around town they should have them to. Out here in California we have a place called Cycle Gear. They have a lot of ramps in their bigger stores. Good luck in finding one.

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I carried a Ninja 650 from Dallas to Nashville and back in a 1974. Along with 2 kids and cloths for a week. We busted an air shock in Arkansas, pulled over, jacked up the back end, slid a 2x4 between the rear end and bottom of truck and drove the rest of the way without any problem.
I love El Camino's
Donny

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SECOND PLACE IS THE FIRST LOSER
#12, 1984 El Camino "Bumping Uglies"

Did your Caballero come with the strap points in the bed? My 72 doesn't have any and I was wondering if I should have some welded in before I have a bed liner sprayed in. What kind of ramp do you use to get it up in there? Can you load & unload it by yourself?

You have to add the strap points , I just have small eye hooks that were bolted to the bed of the box . I did find it easier to let some air out of my shocks and refill it after loading the bike . I friend of mine has an atv ramp that he uses for his chevy truck that is pretty high off the ground . I use his ramps when I need to but I found out that you have to add straps to the ramp so it doesn't slide off the tail gate.

The guy I bought my 74 from used to haul his softail in the back of mine which probably explains why the air shocks were trashed. Oh yeah and the nice wavy bed floor that shows me where all the crossmembers are.

Honestly, El Camino's were meant to haul a few boxes and maybe some hay bales. Mine had no tie downs and you're guaranteed to screw up the bed or tailgate molding trying to roll up anything into the back.

Be better off to get a bike trailer.

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74 El Camino Classic - project car #1

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